Brain functional plasticity at rest and during action in multiple sclerosis patients

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Altered functional connectivity is noted in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
• The relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and task-induced cortical reorganization in early MS remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fMRI) and task-action fMRI (ta-fMRI) in early multiple sclerosis (MS).
• To explore functional cortical reorganization during motor tasks in relation to resting-state network alterations in early MS patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and task-action fMRI (ta-fMRI) on 13 early relapsing-remitting MS patients and 14 healthy controls.
• Hand motor networks were identified using group spatial independent component analysis.
• Compared brain activity at rest and during a finger movement task between patients and controls.

Main Results:

• Patients with MS exhibited higher basal functional connectivity in the non-dominant motor network at rest.
• During action, MS patients recruited an additional prefrontal cortical area in the non-dominant motor network.
• A significant correlation was found between hyperconnectivity at rest and activation in the recruited prefrontal area during action for the non-dominant motor network.

Conclusions:

• This study demonstrates a direct link between functional reorganization at rest and during action in early MS patients.
• The findings suggest that rs-fMRI can reflect task-related functional cortical reorganization in the same neural system.
• These insights are crucial for understanding brain plasticity and developing interventions in early stages of MS.